Peaksneng
Peaksneng Thormacheat Shop
Peaksneng Thormacheat Shop (PTS) helps families improve the health of their children by building organic vegetable gardens. Qualifying families can receive income generation loans for livestock and small business as well as home improvement loans. PTS also runs a Rent-to-Own property development to help families achieve home ownership for less than $1 a day. To achieve financial self-reliance, PTS is selling organic vegetables and developing its pilot farm into an accommodation and restaurant facility.
Team: Sareun, Pol, Chea, Eun, Rey, Weun
The People
Community
Peaksneng is a village 35 km from Siem Reap, home of the famous Angkor Wat temple complex. The city of Siem Reap benefits from nearly 2 million tourists pear year. Still, the surrounding villages are some of the poorest in the country. While Siem Reap is awash in bright lights, bars, and restaurants, most of Peaksneng is without power or clean drinking water. PTS works with students from Somdan Primary School and Peaksneng Primary School.
Families
Most families in Peaksneng rely on rain irrigated harvests of rice and cassava. They also forage for wild vegetables to feed their families and sell in the market. Many families in the area settled there after being displaced from their previous homes. This is challenging because families do not have their own land to farm and invest in. PTS initiated the FAITH (Food Always In The Home) gardening program to help families increase long-term soil fertility, food-security, and income. Microloans have helped families increase their income and improve their homes. PTS’ Rent-To-Own home program enables families to achieve home and property ownership through affordable, low risk payment plans.
Local Team Contact
Rey Diez is the manager of the Peaksneng Thormacheat shop. Rey is originally from Mindanao, Philippines but for the last decade has done social work and agriculture in Cambodia. He has a degree in social work and is fluent in Khmer, French, English, B’laan, Cebuano and Tagalog. His passion for sustainable agriculture and community development is contagious. Rey likes having a laugh with his team and is not afraid of getting his hands dirty. He is married to a teacher from the UK name Samantha, and they have a baby boy named Callum who live in Phnom Penh, KH.
Programs
Organic Vegetable Garden
Healthy Life Garden Shop works with families to build organic vegetable gardens designed to provide fresh, organic, vegetables throughout the year. The Healthy LIfe team builds gardens with families and contributes inputs like compost, foliar sprays, and seedlings. The team mentors to families to encourage best-practices and sustainability.
Micro Loans
Families who maintain productive vegetable gardens can qualify for livestock and small business loans to improve their income. When a family builds credit and proves they have consistent income they can qualify for home improvement or new home loans. These loans are focused on creating safe, sanitary, and well-lit environments that are conducive to a child’s learning.
Rent-to-Own Homes
PTS operates a Rent-to-Own property development project to give low-income families an opportunity to own their own home. When a family has achieved consistent income they can apply for a piece of land and a new home. PTS works with the families to design homes and payment plans that will cost less than $1 per day. To reduce default risk, families rent the home and then become owners once rental payments equal the total value of the home.